Grain-distributer.



GRAIN DISTRIBUTEB.

APPLIOATIONIILED 11116.19, 1910 993,167. PatentedMay'23, 1911.

I P 2 sums-sum 1.

CLARENCE E. HOFF, OF ROCKLAKE, NORTH DAKOTA.

GRAIN-DISTRIBUTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 23, 1911.

Application filed August 19, 1910. Serial No. 578,018.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE E. Horn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rocklake, in the county of Towner, state of North Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-Distributers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to devices for distributing grain from the leg of an elevator to the storage bins.

It is a well known fact that the delivery chutes which are used to deliver the grain from an elevator leg to the different storage bins connected therewith are very diflicult of maintenance in proper working order owing to the unequal settling of the storage bins and the elevator leg, this being due to the peculiar construction necessitated in elevators.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a device for manipulating the distributing chute of a grain elevator, the device being operable from the floor of the elevator while the chute is located on the deck, the device further being of improved character.

With the above and other objects in view, as will be hereinafter apparent, the invention consists in general of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter. fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several views, and :Figure 1 is a section of a portion of an elevator showing the device in position. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the deck of such an elevator. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail vertical section through a portion of the mechanism. Fig. 4c is an enlarged detail horizontal section taken on the line 14= of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail view showing a certain catch used in connection with this invention.

In the elevator herein described the floor is indicated at 10 and the deck at 11. One of the elevator walls is also indicated as at 12. On the deck 11 are located the mouths 13 of the receiving chutes which lead to the various bins used for storage. Above the deck there is provided a delivery hopper 14 having a swiveled and telescoping jolnt 15 from which extends a diagonal pipe 16 provided on its lower end with a telescopic p0rtion 17. The axis of the swivel joint 15 is concentric with the positions of the mouths 13, these latter being arranged in arc of a circle. Furthermore, the outward inclination of the pipes 16 and 17 is such that the pipe 17 may be positioned in any one of the mouths 13 by turning the swivel joint 15 to the proper angle to bring said pipes in alinement with the desired mouth.

The device for manipulating the pipes 16 and 17 comprises a hollow shaft 19 which has its lower end supported on a foot-step bearing 20 while its upper end passes through the deck 11 and is journaled in a bearing 21 to the leg. The axis of the shaft 19 is concentric with the axis of the swivel joint 15. Secured to the shaft 19 above the deck 11 is an outwardly extending pair of arms 22 from the outer ends of which guide braces 23 extend upward and inward to an attaching lug 24 fixed upon the shaft 19 just beneath the upper end of said shaft. The upper extremity of the shaft 19 is provided with a clamping band 25 which extends around the swivel joint 15 so that if the shaft be turned the band 25 will turn said swivel joint. Within the hollow shaft 19 is a rod 26 and the hollow shaft 19 is provided opposite the ends of this rod with opposed slots 27 and 28 respectively. The slots 27 are adjacent the lower end of the shaft 19 while the slots 28 are preferably located just below the bearing 21. Passing through the slots 27 is a handled lever 29 which is connected to the lower end of the rod 26 as at 30. This lever is fulcrumed to the shaft 19 by means of a link 31 which is pivoted to the end of the lever at its upper end and which has its lower end pivoted to a clamping band 32 firmly clamped around the shaft 19. By means of the lever 29 the rod 26 may be bodily raised or lowered in the shaft 19. Extending through the upper end of said rod 26 and through the slots 28 is a bolt 33. At 34 is shown a lever which is pivoted intermediate its ends between the bars 22. This lever consists of two arcuate portions the inner of which is provided adjacent its extremity with a slot 35 wherethrough passes the bolt 33 while the outer extremity of the lever extends between the guide braces 23 and carries a clamping band 36 which is firmly clamped around the telescopic member 17.

At 37 is shown a clamping band which is secured just below the band 32 and to this clamping band is pivoted a lever 38 which moves over an arcuate rack 39 provided with notched blocks 40. The lever 38 is so arranged that it may drop into one or the other of these notches of the blocks 40 and when so engaged in a notch will prevent the rotation of the member 19. In the present instance there have been shown five of the mouths 13 and there will be provided five blocks 10 corresponding in position tothe months 13. The lever 38 is so arranged that it projects laterally from the shaft 19 in the vertical plane of the axes of the pipes 16 and 17. I

In the operation of this invention whenever it is desired to shift the telescopic section 17 from one mouth 13 to the other the lever 29 is depressed and engaged in a shoulder 11 which may be clearly seen in Fig. 5. The depression of the lever 29 carries with it the rod 26 and this so actuates the lever 34 that the pipe section 17 is slid upward out of the mouth 13 wherewith it is engaged. This frees'the shaft 19 so far as the parts above the deck are concerned and this shaft may now be turned by raising the lever 38 out of the notch 40 with which it was engaged and moving said lever to the right or left as the case may be. Then the notch corresponding to the desired mouth 13 has been reached the lever 38 is engaged in said notch. This prevents further rotation of the shaft 19. WVhen the lever is in this engagement the telescopic section 17 will bealined with the mouth 13 with which it is desired to connect. The lever 29 may then be drawn from its engagement with the shoulder 41 and raised. The raising of this lever forces the section 17 downward and outward and the section passes into the mouth, thus forming the connection desired.

It will be noted that the shaft 19 is supported entirely on the floor 20 and that the settling of the remaining parts of the elevator has no effect whatever on this shaft. Thus the variation in settling of the differ ent parts of the elevator does not interfere with the operation of the mechanism.

There has thus been provided a simple Copies of this patent may be obtained for and efficient device of the kind described and for the purpose specified.

It is obvious that minor changes maybe made in the form and construction of this invention without departing from the material principles thereof. It is not there fore desired to confine the invention to the exact form herein shown and described, but it is wished to include all such as properly come within the scope of the appended second lever pivoted intermediate its ends to said crane, a connection between one end of said second lever and the upper end of the rod, and pipe clamping means at the other end of said lever. 7

2. In a device of the kind described, a vertical hollow shaft, a crane frame fixed to the upper end of the shaft and extending outward therefrom, a rod extending upward through said shaft, said shaft being provided with slots opposite the ends of said rod to provide access to the rod, a lever passing through the slots at the lower end of the rod and attached to said rod, fulcrum means to connect said lever to said shaft, a second lever pivoted intermediate its ends to said crane, a connection between one end of said second lever and the upper end of the rod, pipe clamping means at the other end of said lever, latch means to hold the first mentioned lever releasably depressed, a third lever pivoted adjacent the lower end of the hollow shaft, and a quadrant over which said third lever moves, said quadrant being provided with notches for the reception of said third lever.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature, in presenceof two witnesses.

CLARENCE E. HOFF.

Witnesses J. J. KEE AN, F. T. KRIEGER.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, I). C. 

